Posts Tagged ‘autographs’

I want to begin this brief blog posting by stating that I have absolutely zero problems with Upper Deck’s 2009 O-Pee-Chee baseball cards. I like the design, the card stock and the size of the set. Since I have no intention of attempting to build the entire set, I don’t even mind the short prints or the parallel cards.

The simple truth of the matter is that there are other new and vintage cards available that I prefer to chase. With that in mind, I will be picking up cards of players from this set that I believe I will have the opportunity to get autographed in person.

Cory Wade – 2009 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee no. 181

Cory Wade signed this card for me Monday afternoon after pitching an inning in relief as part of a Major League rehab assignment with the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Blake DeWitt – 2009 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee no. 382

Less than an hour later, a cab pulled up and delivered Blake DeWitt and his equipment to the Isotopes clubhouse after he had been optioned back to Albuquerque for a few days. Blake has a fantastic attitude about his movements between the two clubs this season, and you can’t help but think that one of these times he gets called up will be the last time we see him around town.

While I won’t have any 2009 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee baseball cards to trade, you shouldn’t let that keep you from checking out my ever-changing want list as you attempt to reduce the number of duplicates you have taking up storage space in your card room. I’m almost positive that I can find something to trade that you need, so drop me a line.

How do I prepare for the release of the 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards? Well, for starters, I like to look back at the previous sets and marvel at what a fantastic product it is. Tired and in need of being retired? I think NOT. These cards are smokin’!

Of course, we’ve all seen them, and most even have the majority of at least the base cards. As such, plain ol’ base cards don’t merit scanning and posting here. Instead, here are scans of the various Topps Allen & Ginter cards I have gotten autographed in person over the past three months.

Jeff Weaver – 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 167

It sucks that I’ve only gotten one card from the 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter set autographed in person this year. Of course, that is the main drawback to a product with a relatively small number of players included in it- most of them aren’t going to be appearing in many minor league games.

Greg Reynolds – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no.139

Greg Reynolds applied his fantastic signature to his 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter card recently while passing thru town with the Colorado Sky Sox. In spite of how often I rant and rave about other baseball cards that I like to collect, I would be hard-pressed to name another product that “takes” an autograph as well as the Allen & Ginter cardstock.

Jason Schmidt – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 337

Jason Schmidt has been rehabbing with the Isotopes for a short while. If you aren’t sure what he looks like in street clothes, I suggest looking for the 6’4” dude surrounded by a group of people seeking autographs.

Rich Thompson – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no.291

Rich Thompson was “down” with the Salt Lake Bees when they swarmed the Duke City earlier this season. Thompson is nothing short of all-serious on the mound, but an extremely pleasant player to talk to before he puts on his game face, or after his work is done for the evening. If you are wondering what the mini version of Thompson’s 2008 Allen & Ginter card would look like signed, here you go.

Rich Thompson – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 291 mini

Brandon Wood – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 312

For those of you who track such things, Brandon Wood seems to have doubled up and is now willing to sign two items per fan. I didn’t ask him why he had changed his routine when he was here with the Salt Lake Bees. I also saw him sign the sweet spot of a baseball this year. I found that significant because I once watched as he refused to sign the sweet spot for a fan during Spring Training in Tempe, Arizona, explaining that the sweet spot is reserved for the manager’s signature.

Chin-Lung Hu – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 22

Hold onto your caps, it’s a Chin-Lung Hu trifecta! First, a regular sized card signed in English then a second signed in Hu’s native Taiwanese. I’ve heard several people ask Hu to sign in Chinese, and the end result is the same. Listen, I’m a baseball card collector, not an orthograpist, so I don’t know which is correct. For all I know, asking a Taiwanese person to write in Chinese may be equivalent to calling a square a rectangle. Sure, I could ask Chin-Lung at some point, but I would rather congratulate him on a game well played while he is signing my cards.

Chin-Lung Hu – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 22 (Taiwanese auto)

Chin-Lung Hu – 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter no. 22 mini

Obviously there isn’t a heck of a lot of time for chitchat when Hu stops to sign his mini version of his 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter card!

Although I will be collecting the 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball cards, I am undecided whether I will bust out of the gates with the new product, or wait and attack it with blaster boxes once they begin to filter into Target. More than likely I will invest my blaster box funds on a couple of Joel Rosario mounts at Hollywood Park Thursday in an attempt to parlay it into a hobby box.

I’ve finally created and posted my want list for the 2009 Topps Heritage baseball card set I am working towards completing. In celebration of that milestone, I thought I would post scans of a few of the cards in the set that I have gotten autographed in person so far this season. I’m not overly bothered that I rarely pull a kool autographed card from my boxes, because each unsigned card represents the potential for obtaining an in-person signature.

Before I get to the autographed cards, here is the specimen that represents the 1960 Topps baseball set within my type collection.

Tommy Davis – 1960 Topps no. 509

The rules pertaining to my type collection are pretty lax. Basically, I am working toward obtaining one card from as many different sets as I can, and acquiring them thru trading channels whenever possible. With that in mind, if you absolutely need this Tommy Davis card in your collection, make me an offer.

Onward with the autographs…

Alcides Escobar – 2009 Topps Heritage no. 143

Alcides Escobar passed thru the Duke City last week with the Nashville Sounds. The fleet-footed shortstop prefers stealing bases to signing autographs, but will sign one per fan.

Greg Golson – 2009 Topps Heritage no. 130

Greg Golson also will sign one autograph per fan. The Oklahoma City RedHawks outfielder does have a rather stylish signature, don’t you think?

Chris Hayes – Royals Team – 2009 Topps Heritage no. 413

Team cards are swell for getting autographs of players who don’t have many baseball cards of their own. This particular signature belongs to pitcher Chris Hayes. Hayes will probably end up having a large number of baseball cards before his baseball career draws to a close.

James McDonald – Dodgers Team – 2009 Topps Heritage no. 18

Team cards are also great for players who have cards, but you think merit more NOW! Case in point, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher James McDonald. The Dodgers were nice enough to loan McDonald to Isotopes fans for a few weeks during the first half of the season, but I don’t expect to see much more of him in the minors.

Jason Repko – Dodgers Team – 2009 Topps Heritage no. 18

Deja different! Same card as above, but signed by outfielder Jason Repko. Currently playing outfield with the Isotopes, Repko is a standout ballplayer, and a heck of a nice guy. In case you are wondering, I also enjoy getting team logo cards signed by players, but you don’t see them being produced all that often. If you have minor league logo cards that you want to unload, give me a shout.

Carlos Rosa – Royals Team – 2009 Topps Heritage no. 413

A few rough outings have resulted in some rather inflated stats for this young pitcher thus far this season. Unfortunately, Carlos Rosa performed very well during his appearances in Albuquerque. Rosa will continue to work on his stuff in Omaha until he can join their parent club in Kansas City.

Angel Salome – 2009 Topps Heritage no. 121

Angel Salome’s card is great, and his autograph is pretty interesting, but you should see the guns on this dude! I have no idea how he manages to hold a Sharpie in his hands without crushing it. Currently catching with the Nashville Sounds, keep your eyes peeled for when Angel joins the Brewers.

Again, please visit my 2009 Topps Heritage baseball card want list on the Aardvark Trading Co. website. If you have cards I need, chances are I can help you out as well.

Quick… what is more fun than purchasing a whole mess of 2008 Topps Stadium Club baseball cards at drastically discounted prices?

CORRECT- getting some of those cards autographed in person!

A handful of pages have been ripped from the calendar since I last discussed these cards. As I suspected, the cards look pretty sharp after the players have signed them. I already posted scans of Blake DeWitt’s autographed Stadium Club cards, so they will not be repeated here. With that in mind, first up are the five variations of the Chin-Lung Hu cards that I pulled together while trying to understand this product this past winter.

Infielder Jonathan Herrera also visited the Duke City long enough to sign both variations of his Stadium Club cards.

Jonathan Herrera 2008 Topps Stadium Club no. 122-a

Jonathan Herrera 2008 Topps Stadium Club no. 122-b 1st Day Issue

In spite of being on the DL, Colorado Sky Sox pitcher Greg Reynolds seemed quite happy to affix his signature to both variations of his Stadium Club cards.

Greg Reynolds 2008 Topps Stadium Club no. 122-a 1st Day Issue

Greg Reynolds 2008 Topps Stadium Club no. 122-b 1st Day Issue

Slugger Sean Rodriguez visited Albuquerque with the Salt Lake Bees prior to being called up to the Los Angeles Angels. Not only did Rodriguez autograph his cards with a smile, but afterwards thanked me for coming out the to the ballpark.

Sean Rodriguez 2008 Topps Stadium Club no. 131-a

Sean Rodriguez 2008 Topps Stadium Club no. 131-b (no. 974/999)

Sean Rodriguez 2008 Topps Stadium Club no. 131-b 1st Day Issue

I am still interested in picking up the rookie card variations that I don’t have, so please check out my want list before digging through your duplicates. I do have a few, and expect to have more duplicate autographed 2008 Topps Stadium Club baseball cards to trade to graphers who are working on this set. I may not revisit this product prior to the end of this season, so feel free to contact me if you have any questions or have a trade proposal.

Well crime fighters, I believe the last time we met I was discussing 1965 Topps baseball cards and sharing scans of the cards I have gotten autographed through the mail (TTM). Obviously excited by the prospect of having their mugs posted on Cards in the Attic, a number of retired players have been taking the time out of their busy schedules to autograph the vintage baseball cards I’ve sent them and drop them back into the mail. Not one to disappoint, here we go once again- this time listed in order of height.

Larry Brown – 1965 Topps no. 468

I swear, I am listing these cards in order of player height (least tall to tallest), then alphabetically for ties. It is a simple coincidence that the first player, Larry Brown, shares my birthday. I really like this card with the interesting background and the label clearly visible on the bat. Either this photo was posed, or the Topps photographer following him around while he was trying to take some batting practice irritated Brown.

Joe Azcue – 1965 Topps no. 514

Back to back Indians! Interestingly, like Brown, Azcue chose to sign his card at a 45-degree angle, and in approximately the same location on his card. I wonder if all 1965 Indians autograph their cards in this manner. I rather enjoy imagining Joe warming up to answer his fan mail by swinging two ballpoint pens before settling on the black one.

John Kennedy – 1965 Topps no. 119

No, John Kennedy did not add the “NY” at the bottom of the card. The original owner of this card performed that documentation- probably early in 1967. Kennedy didn’t seem to mind the extra writing, or if he did, he didn’t cross it out. John Kennedy is one of those baseball players who launched a homer in his first at bat in the major leagues. His came off Minnesota Twins hurler Dick Stigman. Um… you MAY want to file that little bit of information away somewhere nearby. Another interesting factoid about John Kennedy is that he was born on JFK’s 24th birthday. Finally, I had to write Kennedy after learning that he was the person who allegedly branded Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee as the “Spaceman.”

Joe Cunningham – 1965 Topps no. 496

Joe Cunningham spent 12 seasons in the major leagues. More than half of those years were bonus after Joe just missed being killed by a tornado that destroyed his St. Louis apartment in February of 1959. Like many retired players, Cunningham’s preferred writing instrument is a ballpoint pen.

Dalton Jones – 1965 Topps no. 178

Best known for a base running blunder in which he was called out after bashing a grand slam, it should be pointed out the Dalton Jones remains the Boston Red Sox all-time pinch hits leader. Jones appears to be a fan of Sharpie pens.

Al Weis – 1965 Topps no. 516

Interweb sources suggest that Al Weis was born on April 2, 1938. I’m not sure how they can justify their shoddy research attempts since Al’s April 1, 1940 birthday is clearly noted on the back of his 1965 Topps baseball card. A career light-hitting infielder, Weis elevated his offensive game in helping the Mets top the Orioles during the 1969 World Series. Weis’ weapon of choice appears to be some wide-tip black marker. It should be interesting to see how this autograph stands up over time.

Hal Woodeshick – 1965 Topps no. 179

I just learned while writing this post that Hal Woodeshick passed away this past Sunday. I honestly had no idea that Hal was ill when I sent the card to him a couple of weeks ago. If I had, I certainly wouldn’t have bothered him for an autograph. That said, I am extremely grateful that he took the time to honor my request in spite of his poor health.

Dick Stigman – 1965 Topps no. 548

Enter Dick Stigman… I’ve already mentioned his name once in this post. I obtained this card in trade not long ago from a fellow blogger. Somewhat poorly aligned and miscut, I felt that the best thing to do was to send it off and ask for an autograph. Stigman was happy to oblige, and now his card is perfect for my collection and I don’t need to find a better specimen to fill my set.

Jim Lonborg – 2001 Topps Archives no. 272

(1965 Topps reprint no. 573)

Okay sure, technically speaking, this card is not from the 1965 Topps set. But I am a huge fan of cards like these from 2001 Topps Archives set, and decided to include it with the cards that it represents in spirit. My only complaint is the glossy finish that negates the extra thick card stock used in this product. This was the first time that I have written to Gentleman Jim. He has an amazingly quick turnaround of his fan mail.

Be sure to tune in next time for another exciting adventure in this signature series!

Like many of you, I was born in 1965. I don’t remember the first time that I saw a baseball card that was issued in my birth year, but I can tell you that many years passed before I owned one. And that is really interesting considering what a great looking set of cards the sixty-fives are.

At some point after I picked up my copy of Frank Slocum’s Topps Baseball Cards: The Complete Picture Collection (A 35 Year History, 1951-1985), I studied the sixty-fives and developed a “wish list” of cards that I would like to pick up at least one of as a representative sample of the set. A couple of weeks later I commented to a buddy that I had been getting outbid on each of the single sixty-fives I had been trying to pick up on eBay. Frustrated, and obviously outgunned, I tabled that project for “another time.”

Not long after that, my pal Marty hooked me up with my first 1965 Topps baseball card. It wasn’t just any random card, but a sweet autographed Luis Aparicio card. Check it out!

Luis Aparicio – 1965 Topps no. 410

Although I haven’t featured this card before, it has appeared here partially as I utilized it in part in a post about Steve Finley since he was also born in 1965. At any rate, I had pretty much come to terms with the notion that this was going to be THE card in my collection to represent the 1965 Topps set. At least I had one!

Then a strange and mysterious thing happened….

While conducting research for a blog article about the roots of my baseball collecting habits, I stumbled into a deal that resulted in the acquisition of a boatload of vintage cards the likes of which I never seriously thought possible. Long story short, I was able to add the goal of building a set of 1965 Topps baseball cards to my list of vintage cards to collect in addition to my other favorites– 1975 and 1972.

Don’t worry; I have no intention on discussing every single card in the 1965 set. I believe that Kevin of the Great 1965 Topps Project is doing a fantastic job of documenting this set. However, I will be posting scans of the cards that I end up getting autographed. Unless I mention otherwise, it is safe for you to assume that I am getting these cards signed through the mail, or “TTM.” I mailed the following four cards with short letters to players just over a week ago.

Ty Cline – 1965 Topps no. 63

Ty Cline leads off since he will be celebrating a birthday on June 15th. If you happen to be planning on asking Tyrone to sign TTM, this would be a great opportunity as you could also send him a birthday card. Playing for Cincinnati, Cline was the first player to record an official at bat at Three Rivers Stadium during the summer of 1970. At the end of that same season, Ty scored the winning runs in the first and third games of the National League Championship Series as the Reds sent the Pirates migrating to the golf courses for the winter.

Dal Maxvill – 1965 Topps no. 78

What can I say about Dal Maxvill that hasn’t already been written? Appropriately featured with his leather rather than a piece of lumber, Dal’s 1965 Topps card has it all. Noting that Maxvill supplemented his income by working as an electrical engineer during the off season, the Topps artist in charge of rendering his comic for the back went so far as to depicting Dal in the process of electrocuting himself.

Max Alvis – 1965 Topps no. 185

Alvis was selected to the American League All-Star team in 1965 and 1967. The comic on the back of Alvis’ 1965 card indicates that the Jasper, Texas native tried his hand at pitching in the minors in 1959. Always searching for a hidden story, I decided to check into that. Yes, Max did pitch for the Alabama-Florida League Selma Cloverleafs- a single inning in which he walked one batter and struck out none. Of course, his lifetime ERA of 0.00 is nothing to sneeze at!

Max Alvis – 1965 Topps Embossed no. 3

Never a fan of the foil slapped onto cards these days, I have to admit that these embossed 1965 Topps All-Star cards are extremely nifty. Even niftier when artfully autographed!

Again, I am actively seeking trades, and am interested in establishing long-term trading relationships with other collectors working on the 1965 Topps baseball card set (or any of the other vintage sets found in my online want lists). Don’t be shy!

Don’t get me wrong… I’m glad that the Dodgers decided to send Blake DeWitt down to Triple-A in order to get some at bats rather than predominately riding the bench in LA. However, if they don’t call him back up soon, I’m simply going to run out of cards for him to sign.

Blake DeWitt – 2009 Topps Heritage no. 255

Regular playing time and hitting in a ballpark that favors batters slightly more so than does Dodger Stadium is proving to be as good for DeWitt as home cookin’. I believe that Blake’s .308 average, 18 runs scored and 9 driven in over 20 games with the Isotopes support this statement.

It is almost difficult to believe that DeWitt has been playing long enough that he even has a Topps Total card, or half of one anyway. What a fantastic product Topps Total was!

Blake DeWitt – 2005 Topps Total no. 127

Well, I do have a couple of additional minor league cards Blake can autograph while we wait patiently for the 2009 Isotopes team set to be issued in just less than a month. Don’t forget to visit my want lists on the Aardvark Trading Co. website, especially if you have a bunch of cards of players you’ve never heard of that you would like to swap for cards of big leaguers that you do recognize.

Score yourself bonus points if you were aware of the fact that The Outfield formed under the name “The Baseball Boys.” Judging from the outpouring of comments, I would have to classify this three-part serial post about autographed 2007 Topps Heritage baseball cards a smashing success. Outfielders with cards in the set that I have gotten autographed include the following.

Reggie Abercrombie – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 398
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Reggie Abercrombie chrome – 2007 Topps Heritage no. THC-45
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Chris Denorfia – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 202
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Alexis Gomez – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 389
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Tony Gwynn Jr. – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 83
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Matt Murton – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 66
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Ryan Shealy – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 391
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Daryle Ward – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 342
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One of the major reasons that I enjoy these “fake” retro cards as much as I do is the non-glossy card stock. They simply cannot be topped when you are looking for cards to get autographed.

Oh, and I do have a funny story about Tony Gwynn Jr. and a case of mistaken identity, but given that I can’t/won’t include the punch line here, you’ll have to ask me about it in person sometime.

How do you pass the time while the home team is on the road? I usually get tangled up in all sorts of strange activities, but things that must be done include watching the Isotopes play on MiLB.TV (where available) and pulling cards to be autographed during the next homestand(s). This week I also managed to get caught up on my weeding and planted several rows of popcorn in the garden, but that is a topic for a different blog altogether.

While sifting through cards in preparation for the upcoming series against Salt Lake City and Colorado Springs, I realized that I may not get an opportunity to have Jeff Weaver sign his 2007 Topps Heritage baseball card. Not long after that, I caught myself wondering how many cards from that set I have managed to get autographed in person to date. Before I knew it, I was pulling those cards and thinking of the best way to include them in a blog article. I decided to include them all, but since there are 27, I think it makes sense to break it up into a small three-part series.

For those of you born in the past couple of years, the 2007 Topps Heritage design is based on the 1958 Topps baseball series. The 1958 Topps card represented in my “baseball card type collection” features Dodger pitching sensation Sandy Koufax (no. 187). The card numbered 187 in the 2007 Topps Heritage set features Randy Johnson. Did you realize that, as of this posting, Koufax hit twice as many career homers as has Johnson? Of course Sandy had nearly 200 more at bats than Randy has.

Since they are both pitchers, I will continue with that theme today and post scans of all of the cards of twirlers I have gotten autographed from the 2007 Topps Heritage set. If I’ve said it once, I’ve probably said it five times or more, a baseball card isn’t complete until it has been autographed by the player(s) it depicts.

Jose Capellan – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 407

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Jose Diaz – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 367

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Philip Humber – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 449

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Eric Milton – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 172

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Patrick Misch – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 211

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Chris Narveson – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 65

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Ricky Nolasco – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 399

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Ervin Santana – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 264

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Taylor Tankersley – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 472

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Derrick Turnbow – 2007 Topps Heritage no. 124

I will be posting scans of the rest of the cards from this set that I have gotten signed over the next couple of days, so be sure to check back if you want to see which ones they are. Heck, even if you don’t care you might as well check back in to see if I actually manage another post in less than a month.